• Susan
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Hi My response to "What are your favorite memories of outdoor childhood play?"  - My favorite memories include laying in the grass and watching the stars, swimming in a lake and imaging I was a mermaid, climbing trees, watching fish swimming, and running through the grass barefoot. My response to:  What are your goals for spending more time outdoors with a child?  - I have four granddaughters ranging in age from 3 to 8.  I want to infuse in them a love for nature and a desire to be good stewards of our Planet.
    • Paul
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Thank you, thank you for prompting me to bring back some of my fondest memories.  I lived in Flushing, Queens, NY as a child so there was very little 'space' to appreciate nature.  But every summer, I was lucky enough for my parents to send me to camp in Massachusetts.  To this day I remember the unbelievable scent of the pine trees as we disembarked from the bus into camp.  And wandering under the very long row of pines and taking deep breaths in was magical.
    • Mike
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      My goals for spending time outside with a child center around our Family Nature Club. I want to learn how to be a better leader during our nature walks. It sounds like the first two of the "3 essential strategies:" embracing curiosity and encouraging observation might be just what the doctor ordered! I'm looking forward to learning more about these topics.
    • Katie
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      My goals for being outside with children include: that they'd have that positive experience of finding something that lights their curiosity. That they'd see that nature is full of amazing things that they can learn about! My favorite outdoor play was going down to the exposed hillside and digging "dinosaur bones" and rock "crystals" out of the hill face; pretending to rappel down the steep hill attached to baling twine tied to a big rock at the top. I didn't think I was interested in nature until I met my future husband. All he wanted to do for fun was hike. :)
    • Sarah
      Participant
      Chirps: 18
      I remember this walk with my grandmother. she lived in Canada, and I in Virginia, so we didn't see each other often. It was special for me to have this time with her. My father  photographed this moment, back in 1965.  PICT0227
      • Lisa
        Participant
        Chirps: 1
        Beautiful🌸
      • sharon
        Participant
        Chirps: 3

        @Lisa What a wonderful reminder for the experience. I had similar experiences with my maternal grandfather.

    • Lauren
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      We had four gorgeous towering oaks that framed our backyard growing up. In the autumn when the leaves would fall, my sister and I would rake a path around the yard and play make believe where each massive oak was a different kingdom.
    • Deena
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I remember going to Galveston with my parents, fishing with my dad, gardening with my dad, playing in the rain, riding my bike for hours, camping. I’ve always been an outdoors kid and loved nature as a young child to this day.
    • Dorothy
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      My favorite memories of outdoor childhood play are the summer evenings spent with cousins running around the backyard. There was something magical with the warm twilight activities. My goals for spending more time outside are to help my grandchildren discover and desire to be outside too.
    • Carol
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I remember trees and how they always held such an important role in my life. There were no trees on the lot of our house when I was a child so when my dad had to cut down a sapling next to the house, I cried. My dad was a woodworker so I was constantly exploring the textures, patterns, and colors of the various kinds of wood he used. When we moved to an old orchard, I was in heaven. I climbed, trimmed, and loved the trees around us. Those are the things that I remember most about nature and growing up. My goal is to help my child make lasting connections with nature. It can be with trees, birds, or anything outside that makes them feel at peace. The idea of releasing my expectations to allow my child to explore and make their own discoveries makes sense to me.